Game Of Thrones: All Second-to-Last Episodes Ranked From Season 1 to 8, Here's Where Episode 5 Stands

Game Of Thrones is coming to a close and while the final journey has been a mixed one with some amazing highs and highly disappointing lows, we are now only an episode away from finding out who eventually becomes the ruler of seven kingdoms. The series' first season took off in 2011, at a time when there was no hype surrounding the show. If you have followed the series from its beginning, you probably know the importance of the second-to-last episodes in the series. Every major arc in the story has been carved in these episodes, right from Ned Stark's shocking death to the first battle of the series. Game of Thrones 8 Episode 5: From CleganeBowl to Mad Queen, 5 Fan Moments That Came True in ‘The Last War’ Aka ‘The Bells’ (SPOILER ALERT)

Over the seasons, every GOT fan has learnt to be prepared for the worst but with its final season, that worst seems to the show's painfully disappointing storyline. After waiting for over two years, the season seems to have gone by without hitting us in the gut as it did before. In the final season, we were looking forward to two main events, the battle with the Night King and Cersei Lannister's fate, unfortunately, the makers dealt with both of these too lightly. The latest episode of the series which was its second-to-last episode was probably the weakest amongst all. Here's ranking from best to worst, second-to-last episodes of all seasons:

1. Season 1 Episode 9: Baelor

It was this episode that had set the tone of the show straight. From Baelor, we learnt that there's nothing like a 'lead' character in Game Of Thrones and that everyone's fate is twisted. While Ned Stark (Sean Bean) was shockingly beheaded by the Lannisters for treason, Khal Drogo was at his deathbed too. Robb Stark (Richard Madden) was brimming with confidence and went to war against the Lannister while Jon, struggled to determine whether his place at the night's watch was more important than beside the Starks in the impending battle.

2. Season 3 Episode 9: The Rains of Castamere

Defying one of the most common belief among viewers that the good guys in a story have a rough start but a happy ending, the series popularly tore down every prediction that you may have had about where the story was going. The Rains of Castamere remains to be one of the most horrifying episodes in the series, the episode of the 'Red Wedding'. In a flash, beloved characters of Catelyn Stark and Rob Stark who defined 'justice' and 'morality' in the series were killed off as all the Stark men were butchered by Walder Frey and Roose Bolton. This is also the episode where are prepared for the rise of Daenerys Targaryen as she plans her invasion on Yunkai.Game of Thrones 8 Episode 5: All the Major Deaths That Happened in the Bells Aka the Last War (SPOILER ALERT).

3. Season 6 Episode 9: Battle of the Bastards

One of the most awaited deaths on the show after Joffery was probably Ramsay Bolton. The Battle of Bastards had clear black and white sides. For the show, it was one of the first open field battle sequences. The most satisfying part about this episode though was the fact that it wasn't Jon Snow but Sansa Stark who saved the day by getting the Knights of the Vale to fight from their side. The episode's climax with Sansa feeding Ramsay Bolton to bloodthirsty hounds too was majorly enjoyed by fans.

4. Season 7 Episode 6: Beyond the Wall

To convince Cersei Lannister about the army of the dead being the real enemy, Jon Snow and his group of fighters including Tormund, Berric and Gendry set off beyond the wall. After Jon and his team find themselves surrounded by the entire undead army, Daenerys arrives with her dragons to rescue them. This is the episode when Dany's dragon Viscerion gets shot by the spear thrown by the Night King and we see him resurrect with the blue eye. The climax with Viscerion turning into the ice dragon was a brilliant twist that left everyone stunned.

5.Season 2 Episode 9: Blackwater

This was one of the major battle sequences in the earlier seasons and was captured brilliantly as Stannis Baratheon's troops fought tooth and nail at King's Landing. This is also the first battle that Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) finds himself on a battlefield, struggling to fight and survive. The infamous scar that he carries in the later seasons is the result of this very battle. The battle of Blackwater is also notable for setting the bar for all future Game Of Thrones battles. Also, a reminder of Tyrion’s intelligence as he roasts Stannis' army with the green-burning “wildfire" trick.

6. Season 5 Episode 9: Dance Of Dragons

Dance Of Dragons is an important episode for several reasons. One of them being that this is the first time Daenerys Targaryen mounts herself on her dragon Drogon, who comes to her rescue when she is attacked in the pits of Meereen by the Sons of the Harpy. This is also the episode we cringe the most as the makers of the show tear us apart by showing us Stannis Baratheon's shocking agreement to burn his daughter Shireen as an offering to the Lord of the light. It's one of the saddest moments of the series till today. Game Of Thrones Season 8 Episode 6 Promo: Daenerys Targaryen Walks Proudly in the Aftermath of King's Landing Battle in the Series Finale (Watch Video)

7. Season 4 Episode 9: Watchers on the Wall

This was the episode when the wildling army finally marched on the Wall in a deadly attack. The episode was full of mammoths and giants. In this episode, Jon's love interest, Ygritte dies in his arms. Neil Marshall, who also helmed Season 2's Battle of Blackwater worked on this episode. His expertise in handling chaos on a large-scale during battle-scenes is clear with both these episodes.

8. Season 8 Episode 5: The Bells

One would have expected a battle between the two most powerful Queens, Cersei and Daenerys to be an unforgettable one but unfortunately, the episode turned into nothing but a huge smoke followed by lots of fire. Daenerys Targaryen spite fire all through King's Landing with a single dragon, Drogon while Cersei and Jaime had a rather corny death. Arya Stark was completely wasted in this episode if only all those fan theories of her turning her into Jaime and killing Cersei would have come true, we would have been a tad happier. Despite several character deaths, it was the weak, unambitious plot that left us unsatisfied. The only star of this episode was Drogon we say!

How did you find episode 5? Tell us which is your favorite second-to-last episode from all the seasons of the series. The finale of the series is all set to air on May 20 on HotStar at 6.30 AM. Stay tuned for more updates on Game of Thrones.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2019 11:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).